Practice Report: OKC ready to send Lakers back to La-La Land

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Sun, sand, stars. Yep, Los Angeles has it all and no one in the Thunder organization wants any part of going back there till sometime next season.

They can avoid that fate by closing out the Lakers tonight inside Chesapeake Energy Arena and that is precisely what they plan to do.

“We know that it is always tough to close out a team, especially one that has Championship DNA and one that has a guy named Kobe on their team, he’s not gonna wanna give up and just give us the game,” said Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.

However, the Lakers did exactly that (give up) when faced with elimination last season against Dallas. The Mavs blew out the Lakers. In fact the last two times L.A. has been faced with elimination in the playoffs they were blown out. Over their history when the Lakers started a playoff series down 0-2 they lost almost every one of them (2-17) so it would appear things are lining up for the Thunder.

Though Brooks is certainly not ready to chalk up a win tonight he doesn’t plan to change much of anything in how his team will play the Lakers.

“I think we just stick with our game plan, with what we’ve done,” he said, “and just get better at it. We’ll make a few adjustments, nothing major because I don’t think you need to do that, not because we’re up 3-1 but because I think you have to stick with what you do well and what’s worked to put you in this position.”

At least Brooks will not have to make any adjustments to his starting lineup. Both Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins have been dealing with strained hip muscles. Perk’s injury occurred back in the Dallas series and Russ slipped on the Staples Center floor on Saturday night. Brooks says both players were full go at this morning’s shoot-around.

Even though this is a close-out game the coaching staff and players will not change their approach as they get ready for tonight’s tip-off.

“I don’t think we’re gonna change our focus or our mentality,” Brooks said, “it’s always been take care of the game tonight and don’t worry about anything else. Play in the moment. When you’re in that other situation (the one the Lakers are staring at) it’s either you win or you go home and I’m sure they’re gonna come out and give us their best shot. They’ve got the experience they’ve got the Championship background and nobody wants to end their season tonight.”

The Thunder however, would LOVE to end this series tonight because like we said at the beginning despite all the sun, sand and stars of LA-LA Land no one in the Thunder organization wants to fly back there anytime soon.

NOTES

The Thunder has produced a turnover turnaround in the playoffs. During the regular season OKC led the league by averaging 16.3 givebacks a game. In the playoffs that number is down to 10.5 and that’s the best in the league. During this series with the Lakers the number is even better as the Thunder has averaged just 8.3 turnovers a game.

No doubt now that Kevin Durant is King Clutch in the NBA. In the last 24 seconds of close games (five points) KD is 10-for-23 (43.7 percent) on potential game-tying or game-winning shots. That’s by far the best in the NBA. Derrick Rose and Chris Paul are second with five.

The Thunder is holding playoff opponents to just 24 percent shooting in crunch time of close games.

Randy Renner has covered Oklahoma sports for 30 years and contributes to NBA.com.

I wonder if people from Seattle will ever get over it? 5 years, 10 years? Until they get another team and proclaim it the "real" Sonics? I'm actually quite fascinated at the vitirol that the Seattleites spew.

@ILikePancakes They are a very good team, but we have no reason to fear them. We will either learn a lot by winning or learn a lot by losing. Either way the Thunder will be better for the experience. The future is bright.

@Tronchaser I dunno. There's some people still pissed at Indy for stealing the Colts from Baltimore. Some people never forgive franchise moves. Especially one with a passionate fanbase. I understand where they come from, but at some point, it's not the people of OKC who are to blame here.

@Tronchaser why does time matter? there are plenty of seattle fans here that cheer for the thunder, as well as plenty seattle fans that are upset. People in OKC alot of times just see the sonicsgate guys protesting at our games in the NW and think those are average sonic fans...the sonics gate guys are trying to get the word out, and from what i've seen are very fair and don't attack oklahoma city fans

@walkerdog I feast on the stolen memories of Seattle's children. It is how I am sustained. Does this make me a bad man? Who is anyone to force their morality on anyone else? Am I to perish so that others may live? Not without a fight! Boomer!

@OBoymuzik Dude i dont know who the heck fletch is nor do i care.
I really am a Spurs fan. I lke you guys but that doesn't mean i don't think your all bandwagon rednecks. Nor that you guys took the Thunder. However ive always hated everyone from cali and up so. Im just a troll simple as that, i troll you guys because your the only real threat to my Spurs. After we win the title ill come back run it in your facez then leave till next season.

@todayisbananas@ILikePancakes I am liking the law of averages and winning streak history and truth of the matter is the Spurs, regardless of how good they have appeared are at that threshold of having it snapped.

@ILikePancakes it all comes down to how well their role players play. People like to stop Ginobli, Parker, and Duncan, but they can only get you 60 a night on a consistent basis. The "other guys" stepping up has won them games so far.

@OBoymuzik I don't get it though. What's the point? Am I, as an Okie, supposed to say to myself :"Oh man, I feel bad now." ? I don't. It was a business decision by the previous owner/new owners. And when the Thunder leave OKC, I'll shrug and still be a fan. I'm not going to go troll the new city because they have *my* team. Ha! As is it belonged to me.

@WhoSpurinyourcherrios@OBoymuzik So if the Spurs who are full of vets and are favored, do what they're supposed to do and beat the Thunder, a team full of 23 year olds, you're going to rub it in our faces? It'll be even better when the 23 year olds send the vets home.

@OBoymuzik I'll come back but i promise it won't be to eat crow. If we lose to you guys ill come back, take it like a man, and never post here again. If we win it all, ill be sure to remind you guys everyday for a month straight. Deal? Ok deal

@justin_mia@OBoymuzik They definitely feel like they are "my team".. I went to the airport at 5:30 AM.. I go to every playoff game I can attend, but all that being said - I wouldn't blame the new city because a new owner moved the team there. To me, that's pathetic.

@Tronchaser you're saying that this summer if we sign Harden and Ibaka for long term deals and then the team moved in the fall you wouldn't be upset? thats what alot of people are upset about, the team was rebuilding the last few years in seattle and they never got to see the team they ended up being.

you don't have to feel bad and i don't have to feel bad, but we certainly don't need to attack people in seattle